PIC Design Engineer

Location: Bergamo or Pisa, Italy (hybrid/remote roles may be considered in exceptional cases)

Who are we looking for?

We are seeking an experienced Photonic IC Design Engineer to join a fast-growing team working on the design and development of cutting-edge transceiver solutions for ultra-high bandwidth, low latency optical interconnects targeting generative AI, cellular, and high bandwidth data transfer applications. You will have strong analytic and mathematic skills with a proven track record in silicon photonics circuit design.

What will you be doing?

• Collaborating with electronic design, system and process engineering teams to develop and optimise photonic integrated circuits such as modulators, detectors and passive waveguide structures
• Designing and executing design verification plans to ensure, through simulation and modelling, that your designs meet specifications and performance requirements
• Implementing and verifying designs at the physical level including the execution of pre-tapeout
• Documenting your designs through specification and technical report writing
• Supporting new design bring-up, validation and characterisation testing
• Contributing to internal innovation and research projects through analysis of publications, evaluation of new technologies and patent filing
• Working with external foundries and internal process teams across design-rule, DFM, device modelling and PDK domains

What we need to see?

• PhD or Master’s in a relevant engineering discipline, such as photonics, electrical engineering, or applied physics
• 8+ years of industry experience in photonic integrated circuit (PIC) design
• A proven track record in designing and delivering photonic circuits for optical transceiver applications, from concept through to validation
• Expert user of cutting-edge EDA tools such as Ansys Lumerical, Luceda, Comsol, HFSS
• Excellent theoretical understanding of photonic circuit design principles, including waveguide optics, modulation and detection schemes, coupling mechanisms, and device layout for fabrication
• Creative and pragmatic problem solver with the ability to diagnose complex system-level and component-level issues and propose new solutions
• Demonstrated ability to drive innovation, contribute to IP development, and bring novel photonic design concepts to realization in products or prototypes
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven, detail-oriented approach
• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills
• Experience working, communicating, and collaborating in a cross-functional team
• An ability to adapt to a fast-moving start-up environment, striving for innovation and